MattS Posted April 11, 2013 Share #1 Posted April 11, 2013 Oddly I bought these at two different places online only to find out they match. Both have the "S-21" mark which I believe is Harry Sugerman from San Antonio, Texas. The full size badge shows evidence of being polished as some of the finer details have been rubbed smooth, but the mini ones are crisp. Would these be correct for a 1960s navigator lieutenant colonel? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted April 11, 2013 Author Share #2 Posted April 11, 2013 Rears, the camera was not picking up the markings very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted April 11, 2013 Author Share #3 Posted April 11, 2013 Got some better close-ups with the other camera. The seller claimed these were "NEW", and "never issued out". I disagree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted April 11, 2013 Author Share #4 Posted April 11, 2013 Another one of the shield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomcatter Posted April 11, 2013 Share #5 Posted April 11, 2013 Oddly I bought these at two different places online only to find out they match. Both have the "S-21" mark which I believe is Harry Sugerman from San Antonio, Texas. The full size badge shows evidence of being polished as some of the finer details have been rubbed smooth, but the mini ones are crisp. Would these be correct for a 1960s navigator lieutenant colonel? Thanks! Hi MattS, S-21 = Harry Sugerman, you're right. Three digit codes were introduced in the middle of 1960s, so your wings could be from 1965 to 1970s (so, surely from Vietnam War era). I consulted the Wikipedia page about USAF ratings: Master grade is generally worn by Navigators who have flown at least 3000 hours, which is about 15 years of service. So yes, I think a Lieutnant Colonel (or a Colonel, or a General) should worn this badge. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Air_Force_aeronautical_rating#Navigator_ratings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomcatter Posted April 11, 2013 Share #6 Posted April 11, 2013 PS: very nice wings! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted April 11, 2013 Author Share #7 Posted April 11, 2013 I should have specified, I bought these for a display in honor of a USAF LtCol who started as a navigator in WW2 on B-17s (flying 35 combat missions in Europe), 21 combat missions in B-29s over Korea, and ended in B-52s in 1968. He had 26 years service (1942-68) at retirement. Thanks for the input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomcatter Posted April 12, 2013 Share #8 Posted April 12, 2013 Wow, a very good career! As this Lt. Colonel retired in '68 and these wings could be from the period, I think they are ok. If he started service in the WWII, you should consider also displaying the old Nav wings (issued until 1951): ( image source: http://en.wikipedia....orBadge-old.jpg ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Cooper Posted April 13, 2013 Share #9 Posted April 13, 2013 maybe when you can post photos of the completed display - cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted April 13, 2013 Author Share #10 Posted April 13, 2013 I am waiting on documents and photos from the family, but I will post what I come up with! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beezman Posted April 17, 2013 Share #11 Posted April 17, 2013 I thought these wings were supposed to be Sterling until 1968 and 1/20 Silver Filled until 1975? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thisisme Posted March 30, 2019 Share #12 Posted March 30, 2019 Just purchased a small group of the full size Master Navigator wings like this if anyone is interested in purchasing one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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